Build Your Own Lamp

I was looking around for a lamp to go on my coffee table in the corner of my living room. I wanted one taller than a standard table lamp, but shorter than a floor lamp.


The lamps that I wanted started at about $200 and went up to $400 or even higher. Umm...no...that's not in my budget.


I decided we were going to build our own....and we did...for under $40.




For parts you're going to need a plug (make sure the one you get will fit the wire through, because this is actually my second one...the other one was too small)...



these...



and a lid for on top of your base so your light bulb has something to sit on. I used a lid to a candle (it fit perfectly)....you could use a mason jar lid...anything that fits there would work.



You'll need some lamp wire...read labels to make sure it's compatible with your other parts or ask for help in the lighting/electrical department.



Because my base was glass, we needed some glass and tile drill bits. We (and by we...I mean Ben) drilled a hole with the smaller one, then used the bigger one to make a bigger hole.



And lastly...and obviously...you need a base (which I already had so it saved lots of $$) and a lampshade. I kinda forgot to take a picture of just that, but I'm sure you won't forget it.


I was going to attempt making my own lampshade, but that was just a gong show and it was looking like a craft from a preschool class. I decided it was worth the $10 to have a proper lamp shade.


So...are you ready to start? First...gather all your patience and someone who will still love you after you've done doing this together, however, you can do this on your own. I'm a bit wimpy and lack patience (and detail) with some things, so that's what Ben is for.


You need to drill a hole in your lid. If it's glass...you have to go VERY slowly and keep it wet with cool water so it doesn't overheat and shatter. You want to drill almost all the way through, then turn it over and drill from the other side back towards your hole.



Then drill a hole in your base. This one was a bit tricky, being thick glass and not being able to drill from the inside, but with patience it can be done. I'm pretty sure I was cringing the entire time Ben was doing this. I was so afraid of it shattering.



You have a few options with the threaded rods. They come in 2 - 6" rods with parts to screw them together, depending on the height you need. I didn't want to see the rod in my glass (I had bought clear wire) and I also didn't want to figure out how I was going to anchor it to the bottom, so I thought I would just saw what I needed off.



This is where I whined a bit and was hoping Ben would do it, but nooooo...I need to learn..so yes...I did it...and it took awhile...and I hurt myself more than once.



Put your threaded rod through the hole and put the parts to tighten it on the bottom of the lid.



Screw a disc washer thing, the harp base and the bottom of the base socket onto the rod. Thread your wire through the hole in the bottom of your base and up through your rod.



Separate, strip and twist your wire at the end.



There are no pictures of the next step because I couldn't "get it" and had to watch to learn, which meant no picture taking. You basically need to wrap that wire around the screws in the base socket, tighten the screws and click the top into the base. There were some confusing directions on the package.



Attach your harp. You can chose at this point if you want to glue anything down (the lid to the base or the socket parts to the lid). I didn't want to. One part lazy, one part impatient, one part not wanting it too permanent...



Now at the other end grab your plug, open it up and loosen the screws.



Separate, strip and twist the wire ends. I would suggest making sure you have lots of extra wire at the end. Ben couldn't find his wire stripper and me lacking the patience needed and also "needing to learn to do things myself" (rolling eyes) made quite a few mistakes and had to keep cutting the wire and now our lamp must always be near a outlet.



Wrap them around the screws (this is like the part where I had no pictures) and tighten the screws.



Close your plug and tighten the screw.



Plug it in and VOILA...a lamp! A lamp you made!!


I love it! I'm so pumped. I now have a list of 3 more lamps I intend to build.


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